In-person Pride celebrations are back in 2022, following two years of digital or rescheduled events due to the COVID-19 pandemic – and LGBTQ+ travellers are jetting across the world to major destinations to be a part of the queer joy.
As the modern Pride movement has grown in scale over the past few decades, parades, protest marches and queer parties attract millions of LGBTQ+ people from across the globe to celebrate in solidarity.
In the UK, 2022 marks 50 years since the very first Pride march took place in London in 1972, while it’s 53 years since the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City acted as a catalyst for the modern LGBTQ+ liberation movement that we know today.
But Pride has spread to many major cities across the world as an annual celebration of inclusion and liberation, while continuing to call for greater protections and support for all LGBTQ+ people.
New data from Airbnb has revealed the Top 50 worldwide Pride celebrations based on the total nights booked over respective Pride weekends, with the British capital London coming out as No.1.
Tens of thousands of nights have been booked with Airbnb hosts in major Pride destinations, resulting in $76 million (£60m) being earned by those renting out their rooms and homes to LGBTQ+ travellers and allies.
A recent study by GAY TIMES – which surveyed more than 15,000 LGBTQ+ people around the world – found that more than two-thirds (74 percent) have embraced travel again as lockdown restrictions eased.
What’s more, 61 percent of respondents said they actively seek out LGBTQ+ experiences as part of their travel itinerary.
“LGBTQ+ people face varying challenges and obstacles when traveling abroad. It’s often not enough to understand local laws on LGBTQ+ rights, but also the social perspective from citizens – which often varies from city to city in any given country,” says Tag Warner, CEO, GAY TIMES.
“On the other hand, data from this GAY TIMES study shows that LGBTQ+ people often travel to embrace themselves and their identity – knowing this can sometimes be easier when away from home. After speaking with our audience on their own travel plans, we’re expecting a significant increase in LGBTQ+ travel around Pride this summer.
“Many Pride protests and celebrations have been cancelled since 2019 and queer travellers are ready to take part again.”
Photography: HN – Lukáš Bíba
Paris, Rome, Los Angeles and Lisbon round out the Top 5 most popular destinations for Pride weekend celebrations based on total nights booked via Airbnb.
“Since our founding, Airbnb has helped cities use existing space to scale accommodations and absorb influxes of visitors, all while creating important economic opportunities for Hosts and local small businesses,” says Haven Thorn, Communications Manager for Airbnb.
“With Pride coming back in a big way after a much too long hiatus, the opportunity of hosting on Airbnb remains significant. In 2019, when Pride was last happening in person, Hosts around the world collectively earned more than £60 million as they opened their homes to welcome LGBTQ+ guests from all over the world.
“Tens of thousands of nights have been already booked for Pride weekends across multiple continents, and the UK is home to seven of the Top 50 global prides this year.”
The company has a strict non-discrimination policy and a community commitment that all Airbnb Hosts and guests must agree to before using the platform, to ensure safety of LGBTQ+ Hosts and travellers.
“Krystal and I take pride in Hosting and welcoming people from all corners of the world and from every walk of life to our home,” says Rojan & Krystal, Airbnb Hosts from Toronto, Canada.
“We not only get to welcome guests to our home, but also to our city — and that’s especially true during Pride. It’s incredible seeing the city come alive again and seeing people from around the world taking part in everything that makes Pride so fantastic.”
You can see below the full list of the 50 most popular Pride destinations based on Airbnb bookings, based on booking made on the platform between January to May 2022.
The top 50 worldwide Pride celebrations — by total nights booked over respective Pride weekends:
1. London, UK (July 1-3, 2022)
2. Paris, France (June 24-26, 2022)
3. Rome, Italy (June 10-12, 2022)
4. Los Angeles, USA (June 10-12, 2022)
5. Lisbon, Portugal (June 17-19, 2022)
6. Barcelona, Spain (June 24-26, 2022)
7. Toronto, Canada (June 24-26, 2022)
8. New York City, USA (June 24-26, 2022)
9. Milan, Italy (July 1-3, 2022)
10. Madrid, Spain (July 8-12, 2022)
11. Vienna, Austria (June 10-12, 2022)
12. São Paulo, Brazil (June 17-19, 2022)
13. Mexico City, Mexico (June 24-26, 2022)
14. Marseille, France (July 1-3, 2022)
15. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (May 20-22, 2022)
16. Seattle, USA (June 24-26, 2022)
17. Valencia, Spain (June 24-26, 2022)
18. San Francisco, USA (June 24-26, 2022)
19. Chicago, USA (June 24-26, 2022)
20. Nashville, Tennessee (June 24-26, 2022)
21. Denver, Colorado (June 24-26, 2022)
22. Portland, USA (June 17-19, 2022)
23. Edinburgh, UK (June 24-26, 2022)
24. New Orleans, Louisiana (June 10-12, 2022)
25. Montreal, Canada (August 5-7, 2022)
26. Berlin, Germany (July 22-24, 2022)
27. Lyon, France (June 10-12, 2022)
28. Vancouver, Canada (July 29-31, 2022)
29. Tel Aviv, Israel (June 10-12, 2022)
30. Budapest, Hungary (July 22-24, 2022)
31. Dublin, Ireland (June 24-26, 2022)
32. Prague Czech, Republic (August 12-14, 2022)
33. Amsterdam, Netherlands (August 5-7, 2022)
34. Bordeaux, France (June 24-26, 2022)
35. Copenhagen, Denmark (August 19-21, 2022)
36. Brighton, UK (August 5-7, 2022)
37. Minneapolis, Minnesota (June 24-26, 2022)
38. Cologne, Germany (July 1-3, 2022)
39. Glasgow, UK (June 24-26, 2022)
40. Bristol, UK (July 8-10, 2022)
41. Ibiza Town, Spain (June 17-19, 2022)
42. Austin, USA (August 12-14, 2022)
43. Provincetown, Massachusetts (June 3-5, 2022)
44. Mykonos, Greece (August 19-21, 2022)
45. Hamburg, Germany (August 5-7, 2022)
46. Manchester, UK (August 26-28, 2022)
47. Sitges, Spain (June 10-12, 2022)
48. Liverpool, UK (July 29-31, 2022)
49. Rotterdam, Netherlands (June 17-19, 2022)
50. Wilton Manors, USA (June 17-19, 2022)
As a business, Airbnb is committed to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace for its LGBTQ+ employees – particularly through their internal Pride network.
“We are so proud and thankful for the hard work the AirPride and Trans@ employee resource groups do to make Airbnb a great place to work for LGBTQ employees,” the company also states.
“AirPride’s mission is to celebrate the diversity of gender identity and sexual orientation and empower Airbnb to be a positive force for both its own LGBTQ+ employees and the world. The mission of Trans@ is to support trans and gender non-conforming employees and advocate for improvements to Airbnb that will benefit the trans community.”
